The Stay at Home Mother

I've recently been debating on returning to the gym to improve my cardio strength. As a one time personal trainer, I encountered a lot of women who just didn't know how or where to start when choosing a gym - so here are some easy tips to warm you up to the idea....

• Drive around your area and see which ones are the closest to you.The further the gym, the more likely you will be to use that as an excuse as to why you don’t go in a few months.

• Choose at least three gyms to visit and have your questions written out before you go. Some important questions to ask are: What are the membership fees? What is the commitment they require from members? (Monthly, a year, two years?) I suggest you avoid taking the option with less money per month for more commitment.Stick with the monthly membership which allows you the freedom to cancel at any time, as you may want to try something different. You don’t want to be paying for a service in a year that you are no longer using.This is about baby steps and the less overwhelmed you feel about a new gym, the better.

• Find out how qualified and knowledgeable their staff is. Some gyms give the illusion of having professional trainers in their gym however some are nothing more than glorified receptionists. Ask if their staff members are certified and where they were certified. This will avoid you receiving work out tips from people who are not qualified to be providing it.

• Ask for a free trial (usually gyms will provide a week or so for you to try their gym out). And when you are there, talk to other members. Find out how others enjoy the gym and see how long other members have been there –if it’s more than a year, that’s a good sign.

• Take it all in when you are there. Look around at the gym. Is it maintained well or is there broken equipment on the floor? Are the staff members friendly and approachable and helping other members? Or are they standing around looking at themselves in the mirror? Check out the other members. Do you feel that this is a safe, warm environment for you? (I personally hate gyms that have big, muscle bound guys walking around, so I make it a point to belong to an all women’s gym.)

• Avoid having your gym at home. Although it is a great idea for some people, and is a great cost saver, it just doesn’t work if you are a mom at home with children to distract you. Your focus will be compromised. So unless there is a lock on that door to your gym or the children are out of the house, find somewhere else to go.

Different trainers (with varying qualifications) will provide you with advice as to how you should be defining exercise in your life. Some will suggest that walking around the house with your baby is a great way to burn off calories. While this may be partially true, the reality is that it won’t be enough calories to give you the results you may be looking for.

I believe you need to do something that will get your heart rate up, which in turn will provide you with better cardio (to run around after your children) and will help burn off the fat faster. Plus exercising AWAY from the children, as I mentioned before, is vital to your focus on your workout.

And most importantly - when you are at the gym, have fun with it! Crank up the music on your headphones and just enjoy the time on your own that will help you become a healthier you!